Beauty Made From Beast
by KanraDesu
Summary: Shizuo knocks up fem!Izaya (Kanra)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I swear I have been trying my hardest to start updating and posting more of my stories that I have been way too doubtful of sharing with all of you. **

**Please, please, please review, be free to leave some feedback also! Hope you enjoy~**

**xXx**

"Well?"

"_Well_, we have four with a little pink line-all positive. We have another three with a blue plus sign-all positive, and we have several other variants of the two-all positive."

"…Should I take another?"

Namie sighed, shaking her head as she tossed down the pregnancy test she had been examining back onto the desk in front of her. Her eyes locked with Izaya's and she just stared down at her boss as the woman began to shift through the collection of pregnancy tests that she had acquired over the short span of an hour.

"Izaya, do you know what the definition of insanity is? It's exploring the same problem over and over again, expecting different results." She rolled her eyes. "Face it. You're pregnant."

The information broker's eyes shot up to Namie's face quickly, and she just stared at her, wide eyed and looking confused. It was a rare sight, and it unsettled the older woman. "But…I can't be." Izaya reasoned.

"Let's see, then," Namie took a seat opposite her boss and crossed her legs. "Have you had any unprotected sex recently?"

Izaya 'tsk'ed at that. "Have _you_ tried having protected sex with Shizuo?" She asked, leaning her chin into the palm of her hand as she spoke about her boyfriend, looking at her secretary with a bored expression crossing over her face.

Namie's nose wrinkled just so. "I can't say I have."

"Good." Izaya nodded. "Don't. It doesn't work."

"What do you mean, it 'doesn't work'?"

"I _mean_ that the condom breaks. What else do you think I mean?"

"Oh." Honestly, Namie could have gone without knowing that. "And you've never taken contraceptives?"

The swivel chair squeaked as Izaya spun in it, kicking her foot against her desk to give herself more momentum. "Nope~" She sang out.

"Why?"

"Honestly? I didn't think a beast like Shizu-chan could cross-breed with a human such as myself."

"…Seriously, Izaya?"

The woman laughed as she spun in her chair, nodding her head a bit as her eyes turned upwards with her smirk. "He always is surprising me now, isn't he?" She cooed, her spinning coming to a stop slowly. "Nn…I don't feel well."

"Then stop spinning." Namie chastised. "You're giving yourself motion sickness." She rolled her eyes, leaning forward in her chair as she inquired further. "So? Are you going to be telling Shizuo about this anytime soon?"

"Ha!" Izaya scoffed. "He'll kill me. I'm dead for sure if Shizu-chan ever finds out about this." Se said, and patted her stomach for emphasis.

"So, are you going to terminate it then?"

"Heaven's no! Namie, what on Earth do you take me for?" Izaya put a hand to her collar bone regally, looking offended at such a question. She then lowered her hand to her stomach which was so far still flat. "There's a little human inside of me. I wouldn't dream of harming it."

"So then what are you planning, Izaya?" Namie asked, ignoring her boss's statement.

Izaya 'hmm'd a bit at that question, thinking it over. The hand on her stomach was making small circles around her navel, and the ring on her finger shone in the early afternoon sunlight filtering through the large bay window behind her computer desk.

"I don't have a clue!" Izaya finally said, and laughed, removing her hand from her stomach and placing both left and right hands palm down on her desk as she straightened out again.

"Well if you aren't willing to terminate, then Shizuo is going to find out eventually." Namie reminded.

"It's true, he would find out after a short amount of time. Even _his_ brain could process that something is different about me. No, no, Namie. I'm going to tell him, of course I am. But the trick is to how I'm going to tell him. I have to use tact." The short haired woman tapped her chin with one finger. "How to tell Shizu-chan he's going to be a papa without getting my windpipe crushed…Hmm…"

xXx

"Why are you so sure he's going to do something horrible to you?" Namie asked, sounding bored as she pushed herself up from her seat and started towards the bookshelf against the wall. She had to move. This was too odd.

"Ah, I don't know that for a fact. But considering that Shizu-chan is terrified of children, I can only imagine how he would react to learning that I'm carrying his baby." She sighed. "And with our history together, it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to guess that it would be a bloody reaction."

Namie quirked a brow as she moved her long legs, walking away from the desk towards the tall bookshelf to her left. "What do you mean? Shizuo is afraid of children?"

"Oh, petrified!" Izaya's eyes widened and she nodded quickly to answer the question. "He's always telling me how much children frighten him; he says that they're just so small and fragile…he's scared to cause them any harm. It really is an endearing quality about him. His conscious, I mean." Izaya said, and giggled a little.

Namie scoffed. "Well it would certainly make up for the lack of yours."

Of course, now that Namie thought about it, Izaya had a good point . It made sense for Shizuo to be scared of hurting kids if the reason was his inhuman strength. Hell, Namie had watched him hurl her boss through two doors with one throw, not to mention lift trucks and uproot street lights in a rage. If she were a kid, she'd be scared as all hell of him too.

"Ahaha! That it would, that it would!" The younger woman laughed, smiling at her secretary's wit. "Well, all that aside, and considering Shizu-chan's tendency to surprise me in the most irritating of ways, I'm not too sure if I can be one hundred percent about anything right now. I can't guarantee that he will react neither approvingly or disapprovingly. And I don't much like surprises." She sighed. "It really is a pickle I'm in, isn't it?"

Namie shrugged her shoulders as she fingered a bound leather book. "Perhaps it is. I still say that you ought to get it over with and tell him. I mean, if you're scared of his reaction then why not just tell him over the phone?"

"That would save me the trouble of having my teeth knocked in within the first three minutes, now, wouldn't it? Still, not fool-proof. He'll simply just parade himself over here and do the teeth smashing a bit belatedly. Ah…" Izaya shook her head. "Anyway, while I ponder this, Namie, feel free to take the rest of the day off. I'm simply too in awe to do much today!"

With a giggle and a flourish, Izaya was out of her seat, prancing herself towards the front of her home, where she opened the closet in the hallway and grabbed her black jacket. As she shrugged into it, she continued to talk over her shoulder to her secretary. "I'm going to go and pay a visit to my dear friend. So I see no reason for you to hang around here any longer."

The assistant rolled her eyes a bit, but didn't argue as she followed after Izaya, going to grab for her own coat since it was rather on the chilly side in Tokyo that day. "Try not to get yourself slaughtered before you sign my next check." She said coldly, though of course she was only half serious. She, and probably the rest of the population in Tokyo, assumed Izaya to be all but indestructible when it came to dancing toe to toe with Shizuo.

Said woman laughed a bit as she flung her door open. "Of course not~" She sang out, walking out a few steps and waiting for Namie, who clocked out using the time card that Izaya had set out for her. She grinned at the other woman as they both stepped out into the hall of the building. "Thank you for your time, though, Namie. You're such a good friend."

"Don't call me that." Namie simply snapped, shaking her head. "I'm not your friend. Just your secretary." She reminded. But in all honesty, the bite in her tone had died over the year that she had spent under Izaya's employment.

The short haired woman smiled wide, nodding once. "Right, right… Silly me. Ta!"

And with a quick flash of the peace sign, Izaya was gone, turning heel and taking off for the elevator that would take her to the ground floor and allow her to leave. She would soon be crossing over into Ikebukuro and heading towards one Kishitani Shinra's apartment complex for a rather abrupt house call.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Finally been able to upload the next chapter, please review, review, review for more chapters! Enjoy! :D**

"Congratulations! You're with child!"

"Thanks, Shinra, but this isn't exactly a joyous occasion…"

Izaya had been hoping for (admittedly) the impossible. Shinra had told her no different than the pregnancy tests that littered her desk back home. After a few questions, a request for Celty to bring some lab equipment home for Shinra to work with, and a couple of blood samples later, Izaya was dizzy, tired, and still very much pregnant.

Shit.

"What? Why not? Your body is brewing a new life! A creation brought upon by the coupling between you and Shizuo. A true testament to your bond and your love for one another! You should be happy, Izaya! Why, if Celty would permit me, I would _love_ to father her children!"

Izaya had to interject before Shinra _really_ got started. "Are you even sure you can have children with her? She's already missing a head. What if she's missing the necessary organs for child-bearing too?"

_Clack clack clack._

[Hey! Watch your mouth.]

"Ahaha! Sorry, Celty, sorry. I was just a little bit curious." Izaya said with a smile up at the headless woman from her position on the couch. Honestly, Izaya had forgotten about her presence. She had been too preoccupied with the news.

"Hm. That is an interesting hypothesis you've brought up, Izaya." Shinra admitted, already lost in a sea of his own thoughts. "I'll have to look into this further. Celty, we should try and find out if it's at all possible for us to have kids! When you and I next make lo-urk-!" The jab Celty delivered to Shinra's ribs silenced him effectively enough.

Sighing, Izaya looked back down at the steaming cup of coffee she held between her hands. She shifted her fingers around the ridges of the cup, enjoying the heat that permeated her fingers and palms.

Whilst Shinra began to pester Celty about whether or not they would be able to successfully have children, Izaya allowed herself a moment of silence as her mind reeled.

She really hadn't expected for this to happen. How was she supposed to care for a child? She wasn't even good at taking care of her younger brothers, and she was expected to now cook for, bathe, change, and nurture this new entity brewing inside of her tummy? No, this wasn't very fair. She was only twenty-one! …Twenty-four, in all actuality, but who was counting?

Not to mention the fact that Shizuo was going to kill her when he found out. Yup. Dead. Orihara Izaya might as well start writing her will, because she was going to fall victim to one of Shizuo's famous rampages. And the way that even the wrong smell or a certain strong movement sent her stomach into a death roll, Izaya didn't have enough confidence in herself to be sure that she would escape him this time.

Fantastic.

"Izaya? Hello? Iz-a-ya~" Shinra called out. Hearing the syllables of her name so off-key, Izaya lifted her head and smiled.

"Yes?"

"I asked you if you had told Shizuo yet?" The good doctor asked, and returned the smile with enthusiasm. If he saw that the smile was an emotional mask Izaya chose to wore, he made no comment and acted as if he didn't notice.

"Aah, no. I was just thinking about doing so, however." She said, placing the cup of coffee she held down onto the table before her. With a stretch of her long limbs, Izaya decided not to put it off any longer. She gave a small sigh through her nose. "There really isn't any way around it. Even if Shizu-chan reacts violently towards me, I'm going to have to explain to him that I'm not terminating the little human." She fondly patted her belly.

"Hm?" Shinra's smile fell slightly. "You don't think he'll take the news very well then." It wasn't a question.

Izaya laughed. "Not particularly. I'm not making any concrete guesses since Shizu-chan is very prone to surprising me, but I don't think he'll react well at all. The severity is what I'm unsure of." That was a lie. She was positive that she was going to die.

xXx

Shinra tapped his chin after he straightened out the glasses on his nose. "Well, you're right about Shizuo being quite unpredictable… Though are you certain that he won't react positively to hearing that he's going to be a father?"

Celty tapped rapidly on her PDA and held it out for Izaya to glimpse.

[He did tell me he wanted a family someday, Izaya. This might be something he wants to hear rather than bad news. I think he'll be happy.]

This surprised the short haired woman slightly. Shizu-chan wanted a family? Huh. Well if that was the case, then perhaps Celty and Shinra had a point. But Izaya still wasn't sure.

It was true that she had no reason to doubt Celty; after all, the dullahan was one of Shizu-chan's closest friends. He talked to her about everything. Apparently he talked to her about things that he didn't think he could trust Izaya with. That was interesting. A bit irritating as well, but then again, as far as Shizu-chan was concerned, Izaya always ended up irritated in one way or another.

"Well, that's a valid argument. I can't say anything to or against that." Izaya tapped her chin. "Perhaps I'll give him a call." She didn't like it. The feeling in her stomach was making her semi-nauseas. But Shinra and Celty seemed so sure of themselves as they both eagerly gestured for her to do so.

If this backfired, they were _so_ not inheriting anything from her.

\- - -

"Hello?"

"Shizu-chan!"

"Oh great..."

Izaya pouted into the receiver as she heard Shizuo's rather unenthusiastic greeting. It was partially an act, though, as she found herself more relieved than anything as she noted that Shizuo's voice was flat and bored. It was how he always sounded when he was calm. It really was no cause for concern, and Shizuo wasn't necessarily giving her attitude. It was just how he was accustomed to speaking to her.

Well, this was a nice place to start, if anything.

_Now then, just don't piss him off before you tell him._

"Are you busy?" Izaya asked, listening hard for any background noise.

"Huh? Oh. No. We just finished with a client." 'We' of course was Shizuo and his boss, Tom Tanaka.

"Oh, good. Then you'll have time to hear me out for a minute. I've got some news for you, Shizu-chan." Izaya said as sweetly as she could. Lazing into the cushions of Shinra's couch, Izaya held the phone against her ear with one hand while the other traveled down to her stomach. She couldn't seem to stop touching her belly now.

"What is it?" Shizuo asked.

"Well, you see Shizu-chan," _Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap._ "when two people love each other very much," _Ooh, crap…_ "they like to show their love by having sex."

Izaya's attempt at humor did not blow over well. Shizuo snapped at her in the next second, and she had to rethink her strategy a bit.

"What the hell, flea. Did you just call to mock me? Spit it out!"

"Ne, ne! Shizu-chan, patience. It's a virtue, you know~" Izaya's sing song was quivering slightly. Even she was aware of that much. Nevertheless, Shizuo didn't fail to amuse her by completely missing the break in her usually even tone. Instead he pressed for her to tell him the 'news'.

"Calm down, Izaya." Shinra coaxed gently. He patted his friend on the shoulder, offering her another steaming cup of coffee. The one from before had gotten cold, and she had failed to drink even a little.

With a nod and a small smirk up at the doctor as she took the offered beverage, Izaya went back to her conversation.

"Okay, okay. No more jokes." She said, sighing a bit. "I'm at Shinra's. I was having some tests done."

"You sick?" Shizuo questioned.

"No."

"Then…?"

"I was having some blood work done. I just had to be one hundred percent sure about something before I called you to let you know."

"Okay…" Shizuo dragged it out as if saying 'go on'. Izaya sighed at his stunted replies.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay! **** Another chapter finally uploaded! Once again review, reply, love and all of that jazz~ Enjoy loves!**

**xXx**

"Well, remember how sick I've become over the past couple of weeks?"

"Uh huh."

"And how I said that I missed my period because of how sick I was?"

"Mm."

"All right. Well." Damn. Izaya was never like this. "It wasn't because I was sick that I was late…" She always had just the right words to say. So why was her mouth so dry just then, and why was she stalling for time this way? She couldn't honestly be that frightened of Shizuo's reaction. Come on, Izaya. You can do this, she coaxed herself.

The rest of the words fell from her mouth surprisingly easy.

"I only missed my period because I'm pregnant. According to Shinra, I'm about a month and a half in already. Congratulations, Shizu-chan, you're going to be a papa! We've successfully mated and created a little human~! Ha! And to think everyone was so opposed to us breeding!"

And.

Silence.

"Shizu-chan?"

"…"

"…Shizu-chan?"

"…"

"…_Shizu-chan_."

"…M'here."

"Oh. Good."

"…"

"…"

"…Izaya?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"Is this a joke?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Mm."

"…"

"…"

"So you're…like…"

"Pregnant?"

"Yeah. That."

"Why yes I am!"

"Like…with a baby?"

"…If there is some other way to be 'pregnant', you really must inform me. It would be atrocious to have my hopes up for a child and get something unfortunate like a blender."

"I didn't mean…" A growl. "Shit…"

Well. That wasn't good.

Izaya giggled a bit, tensely. Shinra and Celty seemed to pick up on this from across the room, where they had been talking amongst each other, and turned to look at her as the conversation suddenly seemed to be turning sour.

"I…I've decided that I would like to keep this baby." Izaya tried, speaking in a considerably softer voice than before.

"What?"

"I mean, it's a little human, Shizu-chan. One all my own. How terrific is that?"

"…"

"Shizu-chan?"

"Izaya."

"Yes?"

"You said you were at Shinra's?"

Izaya felt her blood freeze in her veins at the suddenly venomous tone that Shizuo possessed. "Yes…"

"Okay. I'm going over." Shizuo all but growled into the phone. As she heard his voice in her ear, Izaya gave a heavy shudder. "Don't move a muscle."

"S-Shizu-"

_Click._

Yup. Dead.

xXx

Shizuo Heiwajima was only fluent in two emotions; rage and neutral. And that was only if one considered neutral to be an emotion at all. Usually when a person becomes angry, they go from neutral to annoyed, to frustrated, to pissed, and finally to enraged. Shizuo skipped the middle ground all together and moved right on from 'neutral' to 'enraged' within seconds.

Tom Tanaka was used to his outbursts of anger. He was one of the few people that could put up with Shizuo's abnormally short fuse and even come to calm him down during one of his many outbursts. And of course, he was always ready should something, or someone, trigger Shizuo's temper. He could usually intervene before things got ugly.

Yes, Tom was very good at handling Shizuo when he was pissed off.

However, Tom had no idea of what to do when Shizuo suddenly grabbed him up in a bear hug and started _laughing_.

"S-Shizuo?!" The debt collector all but shrieked. It was a very unprofessional sound, and Tom felt his face grow hot because of it. "What the hell-"

"Tom!" Shizuo interrupted. Blessedly, he placed his boss back onto his feet, but his hands remained firmly clamped down on the other's shoulders.

And heaven help him, Tom didn't know what to do. Shizuo Heiwajima was _smiling at him_. He had never seen such a wide, goofy look on his bodyguard's face before. And…and were those tears brimming in the corners of his eyes?

"Shizuo, what the hell happened?" Tom ventured to ask, his eyes wide as he realized that he was captured in the blond's steel grip. One wrong move here and _pop_. There go his joints, rolling out of place.

"I'll tell you what happened." Shizuo said, and he sniffed a bit. The suspicious tear-like substance continued to build in the corners and insides of his eyes and his grin didn't falter. "I'm going to be a father, that's what happened!"

Tom was struck dumb. "Wh…what?"

And again, the air was crushed viciously from Tom's lungs as Shizuo once again succeeded in lifting him off of his feet and hugging him. This time, he even dared to spin his boss in a circle, much to the surprise of onlookers across the street from them.

"I'm gonna be a dad!" All right, no more denying it. Shizuo was _crying_ now. And yet he continued to smile, his face lit up like a Christmas tree in a display that Tom had never before seen from the bodyguard.

"Shizuo…" Tom wheezed, glad when the taller man set him back on his feet and released him. "That's great news! Congratulations!" He wrapped an arm around his own torso, as if he were holding himself together after Shizuo's rough embrace.

"Oh God, Tom…" Shizuo said. He ran a hand through his hair before he wiped his face dry with his sleeve. "I gotta go. I gotta find Izaya." He said, looking back down hopefully to the older man.

"Go." Tom agreed with a nod and a smile. Despite being taken aback and nearly crushed, Tom wouldn't deny how happy he was for Shizuo. He needed this. He had always wanted a family. "Go on, I'm sure Manager will understand. If not, I'll cover you." He said, and grinned, reaching up to clap the blond on the arm.

Shizuo nodded eagerly. "Thanks." He said, and quickly turned on his heel. He stomped off down the street in the direction of Shinjuku, leaving behind him a very happy Tom Tanaka and the still-smoldering cigarette that had previously fallen from between his lips.

Little did Shizuo know that while _he_ knew that he was acting out of pure joy, the rest of the town weren't so inclined to know this.

All they saw was Shizuo Heiwajima hauling ass through Ikebukuro with a shout of 'Izaayaaa-kuuun' on his lips, and they ran away to hide before anything could go wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yahooo! Another chapter, I have been extremely busy with my jobs, school, and my personal life, it's been getting harder and harder to keep up with the updates. But no worries loves, I am doing the next chapter right now!**

**Once again, review, like, and leave some feedback! Enoy!**

**xXx**

"Where is she?"

Damn. Shizuo should have known that Izaya wouldn't listen to him and stay put. She just had to give him hell by running away and making him chase her. Why the hell was she running, anyway? He had told her not to move a muscle; he had wanted to go straight to her and hug her, tell her how much he loved her and how happy he was at the news of her pregnancy. But oh no. Izaya was a real bitch sometimes and she loved to make his life harder.

Shinra whimpered a bit as Shizuo held him off the ground by the collar of his shirt, and Celty was trying to shove her PDA in his face to try and make him read, but Shizuo was having none of it. He shook the doctor once. Twice. Shinra's head snapped back and forth on his shoulders painfully, and he made a loud yelp as Shizuo didn't relent after a few more shakes.

"Shizuo! Shizuo, sto-op-! I don't know where she we-ent!" Strangled cries escaped the doctor. "She ran out of here like the devil was at her heels!" He added, and gripped at the man's wrists to try and steady himself from being shaken too much.

The blond grunted. "Dammit. Stupid flea…never listens." He released his grip on Shinra, allowing the other to fall back on his feet.

Shinra wobbled a bit, but caught himself on the back of the couch before he could tumble over. He let out a slow breath and grabbed his head with one hand, wincing somewhat as the room spun and a dull throbbing began in his temples.

"Do you know where she went?" Shizuo demanded, turning from the recovering doctor to Celty.

Heaving her shoulders in an exaggerated movement (probably trying to assert the point that she would be sighing had she had a mouth to do so with), Celty typed into her PDA again and held it up to Shizuo's face.

[Not exactly. But she said something about needing to go make some minor touch-ups to a very important document. She also told Shinra and I not to expect much.]

Shizuo frowned. "What the hell does that mean?" He growled.

[I'm not sure. But Shizuo, she was worried before she called you.]

"About what?"

[She was worried that you were going to react badly. And she seemed really shaken when she was on the phone with you. What exactly did you tell her?]

Shizuo's frown didn't falter, but he inclined his head to one side ever so slightly as he thought about the phone conversation he'd had with Izaya just thirty minutes ago.

What had he said to her that would warrant a reaction worthy of the description 'shaken' from _Izaya_ of all people? All he had told her was that he was coming over, and to stay put. Of course, he had been silent for quite a while after she had initially informed him of her condition; but his reason (and he would get Tom to back him up if he had to) was that he had been shocked. So much so that he had actually dropped his cigarette from between his lips. He even had a little circular burn mark on his vest from where the burning end had bounced off his chest before striking the ground.

Really, it had been such a surprised to hear those words from Izaya. And she had said it so calmly. Maybe that's what had gotten her worried? His initial silence? Hm. The flea always did read too much into him sometimes, Shizuo reminded himself as he scratched his chin a bit. Maybe she had thought he was rejecting the idea. But then he had told her to stay put…damn, why had she left?

As he explained this to Celty and Shinra, Shizuo couldn't understand the suddenly understanding look that crossed the doctor's face, nor did he understand when Celty typed into her PDA and let him read the words [No wonder…] A few seconds later, and Celty was asking him a new question.

[Shizuo, exactly what tone did you use to tell Izaya to stay put?]

The blond grunted. "What the hell does that have to do with anything? I was using the same damn tone I always use." He snapped.

Shinra nodded and tapped his chin. "Ah, this makes much more sense…poor Izaya."

Shizuo growled a bit, clenching his teeth tightly. "Izaya? What the hell-ah, never mind. I don't have time to sit around here wondering what you guys mean. I'm gonna go find her!"

"W-wait! Shizuo!"

"Can't! I'm gonna be a dad, and I need to go find that damn flea and hug her so that she can't run away anymore!"

xXx

_Slam._

_Crack._

Shinra sighed and moved his glasses up onto his forehead as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh dear me…Celty, it looks like I'm going to have to have someone repair our front door again. And you might want to get in contact with Izaya and warn her that Shizuo isn't mad."

Celty turned to him and in her body language, the doctor easily read her question of what exactly to tell the informant when she had been so sure Shizuo was reacting violently.

Shinra smiled. "Just tell her he was elated to the point of boiling over with a violent love for her and their child. And to come and see me in a week for a check-up."

_My lovely assistant Namie Yagiri can have my perfume and any clothes of mine that she can squeeze into. Namie has a habit of binge eating when she's depressed, and because her brother has such a strong affection for miss Mika and rarely pays her any attention now, I've come to notice that my food supply has dwindled. With so many calories and carbs, Namie, you'll be lucky if you can squeeze my Betsey Johnson dresses over your hips!_-here, Izaya drew a smiley face for her assistant to seethe over.

_As for my library, I leave all of the literature that I've acquired over the years to one Mikado Ryugamine. I think that he would treasure a dead woman's precious books more than anyone else I know. After all, if he doesn't, I'll be sure to rise from my grave and haunt him if any harm befalls any of the pages._-Izaya figured that last little statement would be enough to have Mikado lie wide awake in bed, terrified, for weeks. It would also insure the survival of all of her reading material and all the notes about the dollars she had made. She chuckled a little to herself.

_Masaomi Kida can have my Christmas ornaments. No reason._

_And to my younger brothers, Mairu and Kururi, let me speak directly: How dare you expect anything from me after all the hell you used to give me growing up. You little demons shouldn't even be at the reading of my will. Get out. Lawyer, shoo them off before you continue._

_As for my computers and all of the information in my office regarding my business, please sell it to Shiki-san. And be reasonable with the price you stamp on it. It took me many, many long nights slumped over my desk to be able to acquire all of that information! Now then, with the earnings that will come from the computers and documents, please send it anonymously to my brothers. They mustn't know that it's from me, but be sure that they have full access to it and that it's split between them evenly._

_Ah, I do love them so, but shh. No one let them know, all right?_-Izaya drew a heart here.

The woman sighed as she looked around her office, notebook and pen in hand. She tapped the end of the ballpoint against her nose as she went through a mental checklist. Was that all? Had she covered everything and everyone?

She made a small 'aha!' sound as she remembered a good handful of people whom she had forgotten.

_Dotachin and his group can have my furniture to do with as they please._-Irony, Izaya thought. They all practically lived in that little van, so the furniture was her last prank on her dear Dotachin.

_Shinra and Celty get nothing. Don't ask why!_-As Izaya and promised herself.

_And Shizu-chan… My dear, you know I always did love you, even in the end, when you destroyed me with your own hands. So with all my love, you may have all of the money in my bank accounts as well as my loft in Shinjuku._

_…If and when you get out of prison for murder, you horrid protozoan._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I am going to be updating in bits and pieces at a time, so for the next couple of chapters, it's not going to be as long sadly.**

**xXx**

_And to my younger brothers, Mairu and Kururi, let me speak directly: How dare you expect anything from me after all the hell you used to give me growing up. You little demons shouldn't even be at the reading of my will. Get out. Lawyer, shoo them off before you continue._

_As for my computers and all of the information in my office regarding my business, please sell it to Shiki-san. And be reasonable with the price you stamp on it. It took me many, many long nights slumped over my desk to be able to acquire all of that information! Now then, with the earnings that will come from the computers and documents, please send it anonymously to my brothers. They mustn't know that it's from me, but be sure that they have full access to it and that it's split between them evenly._

_Ah, I do love them so, but shh. No one let them know, all right?_-Izaya drew a heart here.

The woman sighed as she looked around her office, notebook and pen in hand. She tapped the end of the ballpoint against her nose as she went through a mental checklist. Was that all? Had she covered everything and everyone?

She made a small 'aha!' sound as she remembered a good handful of people whom she had forgotten.

_Dotachin and his group can have my furniture to do with as they please._-Irony, Izaya thought. They all practically lived in that little van, so the furniture was her last prank on her dear Dotachin.

_Shinra and Celty get nothing. Don't ask why!_-As Izaya and promised herself.

_And Shizu-chan… My dear, you know I always did love you, even in the end, when you destroyed me with your own hands. So with all my love, you may have all of the money in my bank accounts as well as my loft in Shinjuku._

_…If and when you get out of prison for murder, you horrid protozoan._

A fitting end. Izaya nodded to herself. Now then, all that was left was to write her final farewell, and then she would sign the document and leave it in Namie's desk for her to find later.

_Bambambam_

"IZAYA."

"Ah!" Izaya gasped in shock when a sudden pounding sounded at her door, and the pen fell from her hands. She gripped the notebook with her last will and testament in it tightly and cradled it to her chest. No. She wasn't done yet, and she still had to hide it! Damn Shizu-chan for being so fast! Couldn't he at least let her finish this before he killed her and her baby?

"Izaya, open the door! I know you have to be in here!" Shizuo continued to pound on the door.

Izaya bit her lip, remaining quiet. She stood shakily in the center of her living room, looking in the direction of the front door and watching it rattle on its hinges. Just stay quiet and he would leave…he would leave because-

"This is the last place I would ever think to look for you if you were running away! That's why you've got to be here, right, Izaya-kun!"

_Dammit, Shizuo!_

Why the hell was that protozoan constantly evolving against Izaya's plans!?

Without much else choice, Izaya hurried to Namie's desk and quickly scrawled out the last part of her will. She threw it messily into the woman's desk drawer and slammed it shut before she raced to her bedroom and slammed the door, locking it. She then began to struggle with moving her bed against the entrance to her room. It took a lot of effort, but once that was done she flung open her closet doors, falling inside and pulling shut the doors, crawling to hide herself in the farthermost corner there was. With a quick flick of the wrist, Izaya was holding her switchblade at the ready in front of herself. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide with terror, but her body was no longer shaking. She was ready.

Sure, Izaya had been expecting to die, but that didn't mean that she was about to accept the end so willingly.

The door fell down without much effort on Shizuo's part.

He stepped into the living room of Izaya's home after he had shut the front door (as much as he could due to the splintered doorframe) and looked around. Empty. No surprise. But of course, he expected her to be hiding. Waiting for him somewhere deeper into her home. There was no easy way with Izaya. She always made things so difficult for him.

As Shizuo stepped further into the house, searching each room for Izaya, even the closets, he became aware of a faint buzzing sound. Furrowing his brow, he walked towards Izaya's desk near the window and quickly grabbed up the device responsible for the noise. A cell phone. Izaya's. And with a plentiful amount of messages from Celty. Huh.

Shizuo shrugged and left it where he had found it. That wasn't what he had come here for, after all. He had come to find Izaya, and so far the woman was still missing.

"Izaya!" He called into the open air of Izaya's home. He moved on from the living room up the stairs towards Izaya's bedroom. The door was shut. He frowned and grabbed the handle, only growing a bit more irritated when he attempted to turn the doorknob and found it locked. Of course.

The blond heaved a sigh, vowing silently to himself that he would simply replace anything he broke in her home that day. With that in mind, Shizuo nodded to himself and cracked the lock on the door as he jerked his hand roughly to the right. With a small push, Shizuo quickly discovered that there was something else blocking his entrance.

"What the hell…" He mumbled to himself. With a grunt, he pushed the door in, fighting against whatever force was on the other side (it was way too strong to be Izaya). Unfortunately, in his rush to find his girlfriend, he was probably a bit rougher than he had initially intended. The object on the other side of the door made quite a loud sound of protest as it went flying from it's position in front of the door to the opposing wall.

Now then, for this room to have been blocked in such a way meant that Izaya was here, right-

"Gyaaah!"

Shizuo felt himself stiffen as he suddenly heard a yelp as the bed (which had been the object in front of the door) collapsed from its sideways position and slammed loudly against the closet door.

Was that…

His lips in a tight line on his face as he realized that he might have just found exactly who it was he was after, Shizuo moved towards the bed and grabbed it by the legs, heaving it over into a righted position. With a kick of his leg, he had shoved it back into the middle of the room where it belonged. And then he flung open the closet door.

And then he was stabbed in the arm by a four inch blade held by one very determined (and indeed, shaken) Izaya Orihara.

"Iza-"

"Die!"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Been very anxious to update, been leaving things off on somewhat of a bad cliffhanger. Anyway, here you go enjoy! So this chapter is a little more longer than usual (not by much but just enough)**

**xXx**

Well this was nothing new, but nevertheless, Shizuo was surprised to have Izaya suddenly hanging off of him. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and she gripped tightly to his vest and bow tie to steady herself as she pulled her knife out of his shoulder and slammed it down again in the same spot. Great aim. Shizuo swore as his white shirt was now soaking up the blood oozing from his wound.

"Dammit all, Izaya! Do you know how hard it is to get red stains out of a white shirt!?" It was very hard. And Shizuo had been stabbed quite often by Izaya, and he hated having to bleach his clothes. Not to mention sewing. Shizuo hated sewing. This stab wasn't even on the seam, dammit! That meant this shirt was no good anymore. The blond growled and brought a hand up, snagging Izaya's wrist and stopping her before she could retract her blade and slam it back down into his arm.

"Let go, Shizu-chan." Izaya said. Her tone surprised the blond. She was shaking in his grasp (slightly, but Shizuo was always very hypersensitive with touch; not pain, just the feel of certain things. He could feel the minute shivering in her limbs easily) but her voice was firm. Her eyes flashed with energy and she gave a hard buck of her hips, pushing away from him and landing on her feet.

"Hey!" Shizuo didn't release her arm just yet. He also plucked the blade out of her grasp before she could switch hands and attack again. He threw it across the room. "What the hell's the matter with you, Izaya! Jumping around like that in your condition is-"

"Dangerous? Yes, I am well aware, Shizu-chan. But if there's even the slightest chance that I can stop you, then I'm willing to do just about anything." The woman huffed and tugged at her hand.

"Stop me from what?" The blond demanded. He was legitimately perplexed.

"Don't act innocent."

"Izaya, you're pissing me off, and I don't want to be pissed off right now!" Shizuo's brow twitched and he clenched his teeth. Oh how he was going to need a smoke after this was all over. "And you stabbed me, you damn flea!" He gestured towards his arm.

"Self-defense!" Izaya spat up at him, still struggling to get away from him. She was digging the heel of her boot into Shizuo's foot, but it barely stung. The wound in his arm didn't even bother him anymore either.

"From what!"

"You!"

"What the fuck am I doing?!"

"You were going to strangle me, or do something equally as bad!"

Here, Shizuo had to stop completely. His enraged expression fell. His hold on Izaya's wrist faltered and the short haired woman managed to pull herself away from him and press her back into the wall.

"…What?" He breathlessly asked.

"You were going to hurt me and the ba-"

"You _idiot_!" It all made sense now. Why Celty asked him what tone of voice he used, why Shinra had said 'poor Izaya', and most importantly, why Izaya was so damned skittish. Shizuo almost slapped himself for taking so long to piece it all together.

"Excuse me?" Izaya asked, her pouty lips forming a perfect 'o' of indignation.

"I wasn't going to hurt you! Hell, I told you to stay at Shinra's. Not run to Shinjuku and hole yourself up in your bedroom! I wanted you where I could easily get to you so I could-"

"Take me out?"

"Shut the hell up! No!"

Izaya frowned here, her expression guarded. Her carmine eyes darted around the room in search of her switchblade as Shizuo started to rapidly approach her.

"Stay over there, Shizu-chan. Get back. I don't want you near me right now, just back up! Don't take another step closer-dammit, Shizuo, stop!" The desperation in Izaya's voice was unnerving and Shizuo almost halted in his approach just to get her to stop looking so frightened. But doing so would only give Izaya an opportunity to make a grab for her weapon, and Shizuo didn't really want to be back at square one all over again.

In one swift movement, Izaya decided to make a run for it. At the same time, Shizuo made a quick bound forward and captured her before she could go too far.

Arms around Izaya's waist, Shizuo held tightly.

Held in Shizuo's grasp, Izaya slapped the palms of her hands against the blond's chin, attempting to squirm away from him. But of course, even she knew that it was a futile attempt.

"I wanted you where I could easily get to you so that I could hold you first chance I got." Shizuo said. The vein in his temple was still throbbing due to the high adrenaline that had been pumping through his body just a few minutes ago, but he was slowly calming down. His tone was as even and gentle as he could manage, and he was pleased to feel Izaya's squirming halt. When her hands fell away from his face, he lowered his gaze to the dark haired woman.

"What are you talking about?" She snapped.

"Exactly what I just said, flea, or aren't you listening?" Shizuo demanded in an equally irritated tone of voice. He scoffed when Izaya didn't answer. Taking a steadying breath, he continued. "I wanted to hold you as soon as I got to Shinra's. I wanted to tell you how happy I was. I just wanted to really take in the idea that you've got a kid inside of that damn skinny body of yours. My kid. Our kid." He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he remembered that little detail. "Something we created together."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Here, Izaya brought up her hands in a 'slow down' motion. Since she was relatively calm now, Shizuo took a step back from her to give her room to move as she spoke. "You're _happy_?"

"Well. Yeah."

"You aren't mad."

"No."

"You don't want to kill me?"

"Hell no!"

"And you aren't scared of having children with me?"

"…Well, not scared like I'm not ready, just…"

Izaya nodded slowly. "…All right." She took a moment to think things over. Shizuo waited. This was typical Izaya fashion; she had to calculate everything and add everything up until she had a revelation just like Shizuo had just moments ago. When it hit her, she nodded a bit and looked up at his face. "Well, Shizu-chan, it looks like I've made quite the fool of myself!" Shizuo didn't know if it was a relief to see Izaya grinning like a Cheshire cat, or if it annoyed him. "I seem to have-"

"Read too much into me."

"-read too much into you. Yes." The brunette gave a little laugh. Then she started to chuckle. And then laughter was reverberating around Izaya's thoroughly trashed room.

Shizuo had begun to smile just a bit, but it quickly fell when he realized that Izaya's laughter had suddenly turned into quiet sobs. Tears now streamed down her pale cheeks in fat globs and her shaking from before had multiplied. Still, she smiled, and it set Shizuo on edge.

"Hey…" He began, trying his hand at soothing. He stroked her arm as softly as he could. "Why the hell are you, uh, crying?"

"You don't want me dead." Izaya hiccoughed.

"'Course not."

"You're _happy_."

Shizuo cracked a tiny grin and nodded. "Yeah."

She laughed and sobbed at once, her grin stretching just a bit more. "I'm so glad. So relieved, Shizu-chan! Ha! I rewrote my will for nothing! Oh, I'm so relieved…and…ah…"

"Izaya?" Shizuo didn't like the sudden change of expression.

"I'm going to be sick."

"What?"

"Move."

"But what the hell are you talking about? And what was that about your wi-"

Shizuo found out the hard way just how severe Izaya's morning (and motion) sickness was when the woman suddenly bowed and, with a retch, spilled the contents of her stomach all over his shoes.

Granted, with all the stress she had gone through just minutes ago, Shizuo didn't blame her. Still, he bit his tongue against any biting comments he had and instead worked hard on holding back his own retch by covering his mouth and nose. He gagged a bit, however, but quickly swallowed it down.

Izaya, having finished cleansing her system, chuckled weakly. "Shizu-chan," She said as she stood upright, wiping her mouth on her wrist. "You need to strengthen that weak stomach of yours. What are you going to do when you have to change diapers?"

Blessedly, they both laughed at that and then set about cleaning up Izaya's ruined apartment. Shizuo didn't even _attempt_ to try and mop up the vomit for fear of puking his guts out. Instead he opted for flipping Izaya's bed right side up and apologizing about her broken front door.


	7. Chapter 7A

**A/N: Thank you all for all the love! I've been pretty distracted with some ideas for some new fanfictions and I have been also caught up on trying to re-do some of my old ones, even the few that I deleted some time ago.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**xXx**

"You know you don't have to stay here, Shizu-chan."

"M'fine."

"Really, I won't mind if you wait outside."

"_M'fine_."

"Oh, don't use that tone. I'm just a little concerned for you is all. We all know about your little problem so you don't have to be embarrassed."

"Dammit, Izaya-"

"The fact that you have such a weak stomach despite your ability to lift garbage trucks and uproot traffic signs is honestly the most hilarious contradiction I've ever encountered~"

"_Izaya…_"

"Oh? Feeling faint?"

"_I said I'm fine, dammit_."

"All right, all right…"

Shinra chuckled a bit at the banter between Izaya and Shizuo. It never ceased to amaze him how these two could argue and be on the brink of killing each other and yet still be as close as any lovers could ever hope to be minutes later.

And considering that Izaya was very right about Shizuo's weak stomach, Shinra was rather surprised that his old friend had managed to hang around the examining room for as long as he had. Shizuo really was quite the unique case; he could be bleeding from any given orifice on his own body, but if he so much as caught a glimpse at another person's cuts or heard them retch, up came his lunch.

While there was really nothing to see that was gag-worthy as of yet, Shinra noticed easily how Shizuo had eyed him when his hand had slipped underneath the sheet that covered Izaya's lower body. He had been terrified for a moment that he was going to be punched, but the blond surprised him by holding himself back and remained by Izaya's side.

As awkward as the whole situation appeared (i.e., Izaya in stirrups, Shinra examining her somewhere where the sun definitely _does not shine_, and Shizuo standing stock still besides the bed), Shinra made an effort to keep the tension at a minimum by humming a tune to himself as he worked.

Of course, by taking one look at Shizuo's face, one could guess that it wasn't working too well.

"You know, this is weird. Out of all my friends, besides Shizu-chan, you're the last person that I would have ever thought would be looking between my legs." Izaya said suddenly, chuckling a bit as she squirmed against Shinra's prodding.

The doctor chuckled. "Well don't be insulted when I say you're the last person I would want to look at between the legs."

Izaya waved a hand. "Please. I would be offended if you wanted to look."

Shinra chuckled and shook his head at Izaya's wit. Shizuo didn't so much as utter a grunt. He just continued to frown and watch Shinra with eyes of a hawk. He only looked away and softened his expression when Izaya called his attention by tugging at his sleeve.

"Ne, Shizu-chan." She cooed. "Your face will stay like that if you keep making that face for too long." She said with a laugh. Before the bodyguard could reply however, Shinra called their attention.

"Okay." The doctor said with a smile. He leaned away from the sheet that lay draped over Izaya's legs and brought his gloved hands out to the light.

It was very obvious when Shizuo flinched at the sight of blood specks on the white latex of Shinra's left glove.

"Oh," Shinra quickly explained. "The blood is quite normal, don't worry." He assured. He removed the soiled latex and tossed it into the garbage bin besides the bed.

It had taken quite a bit of moving around on Shinra's part, but he had at least acquired the proper tools with which to work on Izaya, in her condition. He had arranged a nice room for her in the back of his loft too, for when she came for check-ups. The good thing was that they had a nice storage space. Shinra could always store away the machinery in there with Celty's bike when it wasn't in use.

Grabbing up a tool from the counter, Shinra began to talk while he prepared to continue the exam. "Now then, I'm going to do an ultrasound. Gotta check to make sure that little one is all right!" He said, and pat Izaya's belly over the sheet with his gloved hand.

Izaya smirked a bit, and Shizuo's frown returned.

"What's…" Obviously the blond didn't want to finish asking that question as he eyed the long wand that Shinra had produced.

"It's to help us view the baby." Shinra explained as he stretched a piece of latex over the cold metal of the tool. He also applied some lubricant around the width.

"So…" Shizuo nodded a little. "Okay. That thing goes over her belly, right? You aren't going to stick it-"

"In her vagina?"

Shizuo paled while Shinra merely smiled.

"It's way too early on for us to be able to see the baby through her stomach. And I need to check and make sure that the baby is in the right place. We don't want an ectopic pregnancy." Shinra lifted the sheet just a tad and began his work, Izaya shifting a little under his hand as he pressed her belly to feel for any abnormalities. "So we really have no other choice than to go through the vagina."

Again, Shinra noticed Shizuo pale a couple of shades and this time Izaya caught it too. They exchanged looks before Shinra smiled good-naturedly up at the bodyguard.

"Vagina, vagina, vagina."

"Shinra, what-"

"Well, Shizuo, maybe the more I say it, the more comfortable you'll be with that word. Vagina."

Shizuo's brow twitched. "It's not-"

"Vagina."

"_It's not working_." A vein became visible in Shizuo's temple.

Thinking that it was time he put an end to his teasing, Shinra apologized quickly, then went about concentrating fully on his work. As he located her uterus, Izaya let out a long sigh.

"Honestly, this little human better be doing all right." She said. Shinra knew Izaya well enough to know when she was trying to sound bored. Yet he detected just a hint of concern in her tone, though he chose to ignore it.

"Well, we'll know in just a moment. Hold still please."


	8. Chapter 7B

**A/N: And here for part two! **

**xXx**

Silence settled over the three as Shinra moved the wand over her uterus in just the right way. Suddenly, the monitor that the doctor had been looking at was showing a picture of a pulsating grayish matter.

"Ah, there we go." Shinra said with a smile. He reached towards the monitor and flicked a switch. The result of this action was a sudden sound filling the room from the speakers on the monitor. It was a rapid thumping kind of sound; it had a wet-ish _squelch_ to it as well. Shizuo looked alarmed, while Izaya suddenly appeared mesmerized by the picture on the screen.

"Is that…?" The woman began.

"Yes." Shinra said and smiled. Izaya looked absolutely delighted at his confirmation.

"What is it?" Shizuo asked, looking between the two.

"That's the heartbeat of the baby." Shinra said, and pointed at the monitor. "See, that's the baby there. We're hearing the beating of his or her heart, and I'm checking for any abnormalities. So far, all sounds clear. It's too early to tell the gender or much of anything else. But you seem to be doing just fine for the stage you're in, Izaya."

The woman nodded some, her eyes staying fixated on the screen. "Wait, Shinra." She said as the doctor mumbled something about being finished. "Leave it there. Let me just listen for a moment."

"All right." Shinra held the wand still and waited for Izaya to have her fill of hearing the baby's heart. But with the way she was looking, he started to wonder if she would ever have her fill.

"Shizu-chan…" Izaya said, and grabbed onto the blond's hand as it rested on her shoulder. "Do you hear it? It's alive. Our little human." She said, and practically sang it out as she giggled to herself.

"I…" Shizuo nodded. "I hear it, all right. Whoa…" He stared at the screen for a moment, really concentrating, and then his lips quirked up just a bit. It was immense relief for Shinra to see his friend smiling; he had been in such a foul mood the entire time and the doctor had been worried about being strangled halfway through the exam.

"Ready?" Asked Shinra. Getting a nod from Izaya, the doctor went about removing the long wand he had been using. "All right then! You're all set. I'll get you some anti-nausea medicine to take as well as some vitamins. And remember, refrain from anything too strenuous. No running around Ikebukuro, got it?"

"Of course!" Izaya laughed. "But tell that to Shizu-chan, here-ah? Shizu-chan?"

Shinra lifted his head when he heard no reply from the bodyguard at Izaya's prodding. What he saw was a very tense Shizuo, whose eyes were focused solely on the long tool Shinra had been using just moments ago. With a quick glance down at what was still in his hand, Shinra quickly realized why. And still, he had no time to react, or to even inform the blond that the blood coating the latex in small blotches was normal.

Shizuo's body struck the floor with a solid _whump_ before the first syllable had left the doctor's mouth.

Though, somewhere in the back of Shinra's mind, he was slightly relieved that Shizuo had chosen to faint and not vomit all over his carpet.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Finally! I feel so bad for not posting in a while; I've been pretty busy lately. **

"It was-was weird!" Shizuo took a long drag from the cigarette in between his lips. It was his third one in the past thirty minutes, which really would have been worrying had it not been known already that Shizou's immune system was just as strong as his physical body. There really was little that effected him, even smoking. He had been smoking since middle school, and had yet to have any side effects to show for it.

Besides, just then, he really needed a smoke. Tom could sense this and therefore didn't stop him.

"The blood…" Shizuo shuddered at the memory, his face looking pale. He took a healing inhale of nicotine and relaxed a bit, rolling his shoulders. "There was blood on the…the thing. Damn Shinra…did some kind of weird ultrasound shit." At Tom's inquisitive stare, he coughed and looked to his shoes. "The one that goes inside."

"Ah." Tom nodded a bit and also found his shoes to be rather interesting. "But," He said with a cough. "Everything is all right? With the baby?"

Shizuo nodded a bit as he shuffled his feet while he walked. "Yeah."

"Well…that's good!" Tom tried his best to get Shizuo to not look as worried and distressed as he did just then. It would be no good for Shizuo to continue work like this. They had quite a few clients lined up, and Tom needed Shizuo to be in tip top condition in order to put up a good scare for people.

The blond nodded. "Yeah. S'good…" He shrugged. He tossed away the cigarette and snuffed it out with his shoe. "But we don't know what it is yet. Boy or girl."

"Ah." Tom said once more. He nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well, that comes with time, Shizuo. Why? Are you anxious to know what it is?"

"Well, not really." The blond said, and hefted a shoulder in another casual shrug. "I don't care what it is. S'long as it's healthy I guess." After a short pause, he added, "And normal."

Tom chuckled. "Aw man, Shizuo." He said and gave his friend a reassuring smile. "I'm sure the kid will be perfectly healthy _and_ normal."

This time Shizuo gave a snort and an eye roll. "I'unno. I mean…"-he pulled out his pack of cigarettes from his pocket, but when Tom raised an eyebrow at him, he grumbled and thought better of it-"Well, me n' Izaya, we… Well, she's a damn dirty flea, scum of the Earth, and I…" He shook his head.

"You…what?"

"…M' a monster."

It was a soft utterance, but Tom caught it, just barely. He frowned a bit and slowed their walking just a tad in order to give them time to talk before they got to their next client's house.

"Whose genes are you really worried about, man? Last I checked, one does not inherit 'scum-of-the-Earth' genes from a parent." The older man kept his tone even in a way so as not to come off as snarky or belittling.

Shizuo grunted and shook his head. "I just…don't get it." He finally admitted. "I don't get how Izaya can be so damn happy."

"Huh? But you're happy, too." Tom reminded. He wasn't sure where Shizuo was taking this conversation.

"Well. Yeah." The blond moved his fingers up to his face. For a moment it looked like he was going to pluck at a cigarette that wasn't there. When he realized this, he quickly moved to adjust his sunglasses instead. "But I mean… Well, think about it, Tom. If the kid takes after me…" He scratched his nose and sniffed. "Well, I don't know why Izaya would want something like that inside her."

It took a moment for it to click. Tom had to study Shizuo's grim expression for a while and rethink his words before anything made sense. Still, he wanted to be sure.

"You think the baby might be born with your strength?"

Glumly, Shizuo nodded.

"Man." Tom snorted and shook his head. "I don't think that's how it works." He grinned a bit. "I mean, you didn't show any signs of that until you were, what, seven?"

Releasing a sigh, the blond hung his head even more. His fingers twitched. He shoved them into his pockets.

"But it could be different." He mumbled as he shuffled forward besides Tom. "And what if it happens sooner? What if…" Here, Shizuo looked up a bit and glanced Tom's way before the weight of his mood forced his eyes back to the sidewalk. "What if it kicks her?"

"Shizuo, babies kick." Tom said.

"I know that!" The blond grunted, cheeks coloring in frustration and embarrassment. He grumbled somewhat, then tried again. "I mean, what if it kicks her and hurts her? Inside." His hand came up and he pointed at his navel for Tom to see.

Ah. There, it clicked.

"Oh. Shizuo." Tom said, and scratched the back of his head. This made sense; why Shizuo was so tense and fidgety. He rarely ever got like that, so for him to be behaving in such a way meant he must really be stressing about the possibilities of Izaya being harmed. For all he was worth, Tom wasn't sure what would be the best reply to that. After all, how can you assure someone that their child wasn't going to go hulk in the womb? Especially someone who shared blood with Shizuo.

"I still don't think it works that way, man. I think you're worried about nothing."

Shizuo shrugged and put his hand in his pocket again. "Maybe. But you never know." His jaw clenched a bit and then relaxed; this happened twice more before he spoke again. "I just don't want my kid to have to go through what I did. And I don't want Izaya hurt." A pause. Then; "Y'know?"

Tom could do little more than nod. He didn't know, not really. He couldn't even imagine growing up like Shizuo did. Not that he pitied the other, but just because he knew from stories that he had heard, some Shizuo had told him himself, just how painful and frightening it was to grow up so undeniably different. Dangerous. He could see where his friend was coming from with not wanting the same fate for his kid.

"Come on." Said Tom. He brought his hand out from his pocket and slapped his palm against the other's shoulder. "Don't stress yourself out. I'm sure if there are signs that the kid has your strength, then that doctor friend of yours will figure out a way to help both Izaya and the baby. Don't look so bummed, man, it's going to be fine. You should be happy."

"I am happy." Shizuo confirmed. He remained silent for a while, then released a long breath, his eyes sliding shut behind his glasses for the briefest of moments. When he reopened them, he rolled his shoulders a bit and stretched his neck to either side. "But I guess…it won't do anybody any good if all I do is worry, right?"

Tom smiled a bit. "That's right."

Shizuo nodded at this confirmation. "Yeah…so I'll try to keep for freaking out from now on, Tom. Thanks." He grinned a little, much to Tom's relief. He was relaxed now, so hopefully this better mood of his would keep him from beating their clients half to death. "Just don't tell Izaya about what I told you, okay?" Shizuo asked last, looking down at the older man hopefully.

But before Tom could agree and assure his friend that he wouldn't go and spill his secret concerns to his lady love, someone called out to them from a good distance behind them.

"Don't tell Izaya what, per-say?"

Oh God. Oh God, oh no, not now… Not when Shizuo had just calmed himself down into a relatively good mood. Tom tensed and stopped a couple of steps ahead of Shizuo, whose feet had suddenly appeared to melt into the cement with how quickly he had halted his procession.

Tom, wary, looked up at his companion. Shizuo's jaw was set and tense, and he heard a subtle grinding sound as the blond flexed his bite a bit. His body was rigid and his fists were clenched inside of his pockets. He was the perfect image of anger about to reach its boiling point.

With one swift movement, Shizuo turned himself around to face the person that had called out to them, and Tom rapidly did the same.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here you go, another chapter, Enjoy!**

**xXx**

And there, just a few feet away from them, one ear pressed against her cell phone and one hand in the air as she wiggled her fingers in a 'hello', was Izaya Orihara. She grinned when she saw Shizuo's expression of rage, as she always did, and practically skipped towards them. She spoke into the receiver of her phone as she did so.

"Oh, I'm going to have to call you back now. I just ran into someone. Hahaha! Sure, sure! Okay then, bye-bye." _Snap_. Izaya's phone flipped shut with a flick of the wrist and she pocketed the device in one fluid motion. Then the woman threw open her arms and grinned, not even a full foot away from the blond. "Shizu-chan!"

"Izaya-"

"How are you?"

"-what are you-

"Are you working?"

"-doing in-"

"Hi, Tom-san!"

"-Ikebukuro?!"

The short haired woman frowned a bit, wagging a finger up at her boyfriend. "Ah, so rude, so rude! Don't you know not to interrupt people when they're in the middle of talking?" She chuckled a bit. "But of course, you're simpleminded, so I guess it can't be helped that manners is a lost cause with you~"

Shizuo's knuckles cracked as he tugged his hands free of the pockets of his slacks. "_Izaya_…" He threatened.

"Shizuo…" Likewise, Tom did the same. He didn't need Shizuo to go and lose his cool now. And especially not if it was going to end up with him and Izaya playing cat and mouse all over the city. The woman was pregnant, after all. That kind of physical exertion couldn't be good for her condition.

The blond grunted as he acknowledged the warning Tom gave him, but he didn't relax his posture in the slightest.

"So," Izaya continued on as if she didn't seem to notice Shizuo's apparent bloodlust. "What was that you were saying about me? Hm? Haha, my ears were burning all morning, and now I know why!" She said and grinned.

"None of your business, flea!" Shizuo's growl was almost feral. There was a vein throbbing in his temple.

"Oh, but if the topic was about me, I have every right to inquire."

"Well don't!"

"So rude, Shizu-chan!"

"Izaya-san…" Tom began. He addressed the woman since his tugging on Shizuo's sleeve was doing little to no good. "I think you ought to continue as you were."

"Ah, Tom-san." Izaya said, smiling at him as she blatantly ignored his words. "I suppose Shizu-chan told you the good news?" She asked and smiled. For a moment Tom forgot that Shizuo was a great pillar of personified violence right besides him and instead nodded and grinned in response to Izaya's obvious joy.

"Yes, he did. Congratulations."

"Thank you!"

"_Izaya_!" Okay. Shizuo wasn't taking lightly to being ignored.

"I'm right here, no need for such a tone." The woman sighed and shook her head. "Honestly…" She chuckled then, and placed her hand flat against Shizuo's chest.

Tom, who had a hold of Shizuo's arm, squeezed.

But to the debt collector's surprise, Shizuo didn't react violently. He remained stock still, and his biceps flexed, but he didn't move to shove her or do anything equally as violent.

"Didn't you miss me?" Izaya cooed. Playing around, she pouted.

"I saw you less than three hours ago." Said Shizuo. "I didn't have _time_ to miss you."

"Ah~ So heartless. And to think I came all the way to Ikebukuro to see you, too!" Izaya placed the back of her hand to her forehead in a false swoon.

Under Tom's hand, Shizuo's arm flinched, but he restrained himself for the most part. The only move he made was with his free hand, and that was to grab Izaya's wrist and pull her hand away from her face.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway? You know I don't want you in Ikebukuro!" Shizuo snapped.

"Yes, but-"

Shizuo interrupted before she could finish.

"You need to be at your place resting! Damn flea. Remember, it's not all about you anymore! As long as you're carrying my kid in there, you damn well better take care of yourself! And that means staying the hell out of Ikebukuro, where you could run into trouble!"

It was a relief for Tom to know that he wasn't the only one surprised by this demand. Izaya looked as if she had just been slapped, though that was far from the case. That in itself was strange.

"Shizu-chan…" She muttered, her expression falling a bit and becoming passive.

The blond grunted. His head swiveled, and Tom was suddenly very aware that he was still holding tight to his friend's arm. He released Shizuo when he realized that the position he had adopted could be considered 'clinging'.

"Hey, Tom," Shizuo began. "I'm gonna need an hour off."

The older man considered this silently. He looked for Shizuo to Izaya, then back, and then checked his watch. They had plenty of time. The day was still early. And Shizuo was usually good about showing up on time. If he said he'd be back in an hour, he would be back. There was no doubt. Besides, he wouldn't have asked if he were planning on chasing Izaya out of town. Tom had an idea of what Shizuo wanted to do, and he could see it clearly in the other's eyes. He decided that he would let this one go, and he nodded.

"Sure, Shizuo. But remember, just an hour. We still have a booked schedule for today." He warned. Pleased when Shizuo nodded quickly, Tom smiled. "All right then. I'll meet you at Russia Sushi. You can pick up lunch for yourself on your way to Shinjuku, I'm sure."

As he realized that Tom was on to him, Shizuo slowly broke out into a grin. He nodded his head and chuckled. "Sure."

"Wait." Said Izaya. She finally seemed to have perked back up and she looked between the two men curiously. "Just what are you planning Shizu-chan-!" The honorific she used for the blond turned into somewhat of a squeak as Shizuo suddenly bowed and grabbed her under her legs. She fell back into the arm he had wrapped around her shoulders and with one swift tug, Shizuo had Izaya cradled in his arms. She flailed a bit, cheeks coloring, but otherwise Shizuo seemed to have little trouble with her.

"Shizu-chan! Put me down this instant!" The woman's plight went unnoticed as Shizuo turned back briefly towards his boss.

"I'll see you later, Tom." Shizuo excused himself. "I just need to make sure she gets home safe."

Suppressing a chuckle, Tom nodded and waved a hand. "Go."

A quick nod of the affirmative was all Tom got in reply. Then Shizuo had turned heel and quickly skirted away towards Shinjuku with Izaya squirming in his hold all the while.


End file.
